Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav – AN ABSOLUTE LET DOWN
Rating:- *

VAASTAV and ASTITVA were two thought-provoking films made by Mahesh Manjrekar. Even the other films that he attempted, TERA MERA SAATH RAHE, EHSAAS, HATHYAR and RAKHT, had something to say, irrespective of their box-office outcome. But his just-released PADAMSHREE LALOO PRASAD YADAV just doesn’t have a plus point. Not only is the film the weakest, it tempts one to ask Manjrekar what kind of cinema is this?

Laloo [Suniel Shetty] goes out of control when he sees a good-looking girl. A playboy, he can't keep his pants up.

Padma [Masumeh], his girl-friend, is naturally fed up of his philandering ways. After one such incident, she takes a flight to Cape Town to recover some jewels which had been stolen by her father's partner.

But lo, when she lands in Cape Town, she finds him there to receive her. After he apologizes profusely, he is pardoned for the nth time. Laloo tries to help out Padma in her mission but ends up messing things miserably.

To get out of the mess, Laloo takes help of a local thug Johnny [Gulshan Grover] and his sidekick called Yadav [Johny Lever]. They rob the bank in which the jewels are kept and recover the same.

While escaping from the bank, Yadav nearly runs over an old lady [Shashikala] with three dogs, who becomes a witness to the robbery. And the game of double cross starts!

The film is meant to be a comedy, but it hardly brings a smile on your face, let alone thrill you.

The music is another drawback. Barring 'Deewana Hoon Main Hoon Deewana', no song works. Dialogues [Sanjay Pawar] are witty at places. Cinematography [Vijay Arora] is of standard.

The only performance worth remembering is that of Masumeh. Despite a shoddy script, the actress carries off the role with complete conviction. Here's an actress who can really deliver!

Suniel Shetty tries to do his best and elevate every ordinary sequence. Gulshan Grover is alright.

On the whole, PADMASHREE LALOO PRASAD YADAV is an absolute letdown.